Evaluation question 1

1) In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media product?

For us to fully complete our A2 media course we had to create a music video for a chosen song, and create a music digipack and website or album advert. For my chosen products I chose to make the digipack and the website. In order to create these products we had to conduct research into each product and see what conven-tions they had and what conventions that we could use, develop or challenge in our music video and ancillary tasks. Conventions are certain elements that are included in each media product which makes it that media products for example a music video, most company’s use conventions when they create media products. For example Kerrang, they use magazine conventions like a bold title, big front picture, three main colours etc. to make it look like a magazine, make it look professional and up to standard with other music magazines and make sure that the target audience know what it is. A more relevant example would be a music video, conventions that are used in music videos include footage filmed on a camera, a vast number of angles and distance and editing such as taking background noise off the actual recording and making footage black and white.

In this answer I will be showing you three different sets of conventions. I will show you three conventions that I used, developed and challenged on my music video, Digipack and website. As well as showing you my example and another media product example I will be writing a small paragraph of writing explaining the convention and if I used, developed or challenged it.

Music video

1)

My music video

Avenged sevenfold – Dear god

In my music video one major convention that I decided to use was to use the effect of black and white in my music video. As you can see from the screen shot of my music video I have used I-Movie to edit my music video and have used a filter on some of the footage. Shown next to it is a very similar shot used in a band’s music video where they have also used the filter black and white. The reason why I decided to use this con-vention is because I think it has a very powerful effect and looks really professional.

2

My music video

Bullet for my valentine – Heart bursts into flames

The next major convention that I used in my music video was to include behind the scenes footage in the video. This convention is used in some video like dear god by avenged sevenfold and bullet for my valen-tine, heart bursts into flames. I chose to develop this convention and used a lot of footage like this in my mu-sic video in a load of different locations and angles. The reason for this is that it made the video look very professional clear.

3

My music video

Ok go – Here it goes again

One of the last major conventions that I used in my music video was to use footage that had not been planned to be included and in my case not meant to be filmed. This happens in several music video, where they ex-periment with new ideas on the film shoot and find out that it works better. The above part of my video shows me picking the camera off the floor and walking into the recording studio after filming a piece of footage. When it came to constructing my music video I decided that the footage that had been filmed by ac-cident looked a lot better than some of my other footage. This is also show in the ok go video where the guy nearly falls off the treadmill, but in there case they had no choice but to include it in because the video is a whole piece of footage that cannot be edited.

In this second part of my evaluation question I will be showing you and explaining the conventions that I used, developed or challenged in my artist website.

Website

1

My website

Enter shikari

This is my front cover of my website and is the first thing that the viewer will see when they go on the web-page, and below that is the front cover of a website for the band called enter shikari. The convention that I used in my website was to have a main page that the user then can enter the main website. This also allows for a band identity to be made as they know what the band look like. I chose not to change or develop the convention as I felt that it is a key point to the band, as it firstly creates a brand identity and allows them to see what the website is like. The convention is not always used in websites but I think that it looks very pro-fessional and is a great introduction to the website.

2

My website

Avenged sevenfold

The next convention that I used in making my website was the music bar featured on the website which will allow music to be played why the person looks through the website. This is shown in the top centre of my website and in the middle right of the avenged sevenfold website. On my website it plays the song that is fea-tured on my video which is The Kids aren’t alright, where on the avenged sevenfold website it plays several songs. The reason why I chose to use this convention is because it look very professional and is a major as-pect of music websites. The avenge sevenfold website has chosen to develop this convention where I have chosen to just use it.

3

My website

Fall out boy

One of the last major conventions that I used in my website was in the tour page. Most websites have a tour page where fans of the band can go on it and look where they are playing, when they are playing and buy tickets. Rather then just using this convention I chose to develop it. Rather then just listing the tours and when they were I chose to post all the information on tour page which would be handed out to people and stuck up in places. The reason why I done this is because firstly it allows for a band identity to be created and also allows for all the information to be in one place and does not means that people have to switch to differ-ent pages. I also feel that it is more clear and makes it look more professional.

This is my last part of the evaluation question, in this part I shall be showing you three conventions that I ei-ther used, developed or challenged in my digipack, which was the last part of my media coursework.

Digipack

1

My digipack

Paramore

This is my digipack front cover and a digipack front cover from a band called paramore. The first major con-vention that I used was to use a big front cover photo on my digipack. This is normal practice in digipack covers. The main reason why I have just used this convention and not developed or changed it is because firstly the way that it is allows for a band identity to be created and there are no major ways that it can be de-veloped or changed. I also thing that it looks very professional and clear who the band members are.

2

My digipack

AC/DC

This is the back cover of my digipack, and above an AC/DC back cover. This is where the information is put about the digipack for example songs on the CD and how much it costs and information about copyright and the rights to the band. The pictures that I used on the back cover again allow for a brand identity to be cre-ated and allows for an ancillary tasks link to be made as it looks the same as my tour page but in color but with filter on it.

3

My digipack

Digipack inside

This is my inside of my digipack and the inside of a random digipack. My digipack shows Japanese writhing with the word divide written within it. The Japanese writing translates to “In the beginning God created the heavens and earth”. This theme is then carried out within my other two inside parts of my digipack, except I have used Latin and English in them. This was a convention that I decide to challenge as it would of been no good using an existing design or just making it plain. I think that you every person would have to challenge the design because every one has different designs and different designs.

The above nine points are conventions that I have use, developed or challenged within my media products which were a music video, digipack and music website.